Misc - Engadget Mobile

Sony Ericsson closing four facilities, laying off 2,000 employees worldwide

by Darren Murph posted Nov 18th 2009 at 8:58AM

Sony Ericsson has yet to make this public, but we've learned that the flagging handset maker has caved once more to the pressures of the modern phone market place. If you'll recall, 450 employees were nixed from the company's payrolls in September of last year, and now the entire Research Triangle Park facility is being shuttered. In an internal announcement made this morning, SE is fixing to close four total sites: RTP in North Carolina, a smaller Miami facility and operations in Kista (Sweden) and Chennai. All told, 2,000 employees will be trimmed, with severance packages being offered to those who qualify. As of now, the departing individuals have yet to be chosen, with employees in RTP given the opportunity to apply for jobs elsewhere (likely in Atlanta or California). We're told that the cuts will happen "in stages," with project teams being assembled as we speak to work out the logistics. Frankly, we aren't as shocked as we are saddened to hear the news -- SE has refused to keep pace with the other handset makers, and its decision to wait until next year to ship an Android device is indicative of the choices that have kept it in the shadows these past few years. Here's hoping this restructuring effort actually gets things headed in the right direction.

Update: And it's official. SE will also be shutting down small offices in Seattle and San Diego, with its North American headquarters shifting from RTP to Atlanta and its research and development operation transitioning from RTP to Redwood Shores, California.

UK T-Mobile customer data sold to cold callers, responsible staff to be prosecuted

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 17th 2009 at 6:09PM

Let's be honest, who here is actually surprised that underpaid and overworked data workers would sell on our details for a few extra quid? Given the number of uninvited calls to our unlisted phone numbers, we know for a fact that somebody has been dishing our personal contacts to those Nigerian princes and caring loan consolidators, so it's no shock to learn that T-Mobile employees have been fingered for committing the deed and are now facing prosecution. We're told that inappropriately leaked information made its way into the hands of brokers, who then "cold-called the customers as their contracts were due to expire" without T-Mob's knowledge. Disappointed by the failure of current fines to discourage such illegal information trade, British Justice Minister Michael Wills has even called for "custodial sentences" to be levied against the poor slobs responsible. So, if you're scoring at home, that's now two black eyes for T-Mobile when it comes to keeping our data safe. For shame.

Magellan debuts GPS app / car kit for iPhone and iPod touch

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 17th 2009 at 12:31PM

Magellan's new iPhone navigation app won't do much for the iPod touch on its own, but it looks like the company's forthcoming Premium Car Kit will in fact work just fine with the handheld out of the box, unlike TomTom's similar Car Kit. Otherwise, there aren't exactly a ton of surprises, but the cradle is fully adjustable to accommodate a range of sleeves or cases, and it'll of course also charge your iPhone or iPod touch, and give it some amplified sound courtesy of the built-in speaker. The navigation app itself also seems to be more than ready to challenge the competition, with it boasting spoken street names, NAVTEQ maps, 3D landmarks, in-app music control, a pedestrian mode, and a price tag of $79.99. No word on a price or release date for the cradle just yet, but Magellan says it is "coming soon" -- iPhone users can get the app from the App Store right now.

[Thanks, djphatjive]

LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 6th 2009 at 4:53AM

If you think cellphones have become overbearingly complex, look away now. A partnership of tech companies and content providers, known as the ng Connect Program, has revealed a prototype "LTE Connected Car," which, as you might surmise, combines 4G mobile broadband connectivity with a bunch of cloud-sourced facilities, such as video on demand, audio libraries, and multiplayer gaming. It can also serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot, connect directly to home automation or monitoring systems, and probably cook you scrambled eggs if you ask nicely. A Toyota Prius serves as the guinea pig for this new concept, and we've got video of the whole shebang after the break.

Read - ng Connect Program Puts Connectivity in the Fast Lane with the LTE Connected Car Concept Vehicle
Read - ng Connect Program Reveals the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Connected Car

Continue reading LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)

Verizon looking to bump early termination fee to $350 on 'advanced' devices

by Darren Murph posted Nov 4th 2009 at 8:42AM

You know what's worse than showing your Bitter Beer Face to the world after you passed on Apple's iPhone and let AT&T enjoy the spoils? Raising your early termination fee to stratospheric heights. Just over a year ago, we honestly though this whole ETF thing was headed in the right direction, as most of the major carriers (VZW included) sought to prorate contracts in order to lessen the charge as one's contract drew closer to an end. Now, however, Big Red is evidently gearing up to pull a 180, with the slide above showing a $350 ETF for "advanced" devices (read: probably anything deemed a smartphone). The newly hiked rate will go into effect on November 15th, and while that $350 will decrease by $10 per month over the life of the agreement, this pretty much guarantees that you won't be adding a line, disconnecting and then flipping that phone on eBay.

CRTC blocks Canada's WIND from launching over ownership concerns

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 30th 2009 at 8:15AM

Globalive, which has recently been ramping up to launch a national Canadian phone service under the WIND brand using spectrum won in last year's auction, has been dealt a hell of a blow by the CRTC this week. The organization -- essentially the northern equivalent of the FCC -- has strict rules demanding that Canadian wireless networks be Canadian-owned, and an investigation of WIND's structure has apparently raised enough concern to cause it to call off the service's launch. Egypt's Orascom Telecom (which, strangely, also runs North Korea's Koryolink) owns some 65.1 percent of the operation and apparently "holds the overwhelming majority of the outstanding debt" for which Globalive is responsible, so yeah, we can see how that might not qualify as "Canadian-owned." For its part, Globalive says that it's "extremely disappointed" in the decision and "will be evaluating [its] options on how to proceed," but in all likelihood, that's going to have to mean cashing out a good chunk of Orascom if it's serious about making this happen.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - CRTC decision
Read - WIND response

inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry up for pre-order, ships in February 2010

by Darren Murph posted Oct 26th 2009 at 10:51AM

Just as we'd heard, RIM decided to outsource the production of the planet's first BlackBerry watch, but that doesn't mean that devoted BB Messenger users won't be hankerin' for one. The inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry is being produced by Allerta, and now that it's official, we can safely say that it'll rely on Bluetooth in order to bring incoming emails, text messages and other alerts from your handset to your wrist (or your ankle, if you roll like that). As for specs, you're looking at a 1.3-inch OLED display, glass lens, full metal body, vibrating motor, microUSB port and a rechargeable battery that's good for around four days of "normal use." inPulse users will have to install a special BlackBerry application in order to pass along information, but those hoping to use their watch to actually send messages will be sorely disappointed. It's up for pre-order now at $149, and if all goes well, the first ones will ship out in February.

Novatel MiFi 2200 gets new firmware, now stays on even when you don't need it

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 26th 2009 at 9:05AM

MiFi gets new firmware, now stays on even when you don't need it

If you're using one of the various MiFi incarnations, you may have been slightly annoyed at the thing shutting itself down after a few minutes of inactivity. It's a lovely feature to save juice when running disconnected -- a little less desirable when running on AC. There's a new firmware in town and it does away with such bad behavior whilst also adding better compatibility with the Nintendo DS and BlackBerry Curve. It's not an automatic update, though, so you'll need to dig through some menus to make the magic happen, but we're sure you can figure it out. (If you get stuck, the read link has pictures.)

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

Nokia patent app reveals dreams of pressure-sensitive multitouch interface

by Darren Murph posted Oct 24th 2009 at 6:49PM

Nokia's no stranger to the patent application process here in the United States, and while we've certainly seen some strange ones emanating from its R&D labs, this one looks like something that should be implemented on the double. Explained as a "user interface for controlling an electronic device," the multitouch solution would essentially allow you to pinch, zoom and rotate objects as usual, but it would also employ an array of pressure sensors in order to give your motions a sense of severity. If executed properly, one could theoretically envision the use of a strong push to simulate a double tap (for example), or as a means to activate a secondary function that generally requires another button press or the use of a 'Function' key. Hit the read link for all the mumbo jumbo, but be sure to keep your expectations within check. Or not.

[Via UnwiredView]

Access and Emblaze Mobile unveil Else Intuition, the Linux-based mobile OS of your dreams

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 23rd 2009 at 7:14AM

It's been a long, long time since Emblaze Mobile and Access engaged in holy cellphone matrimony, and the fruit of that relationship is finally coming to bear. It's called Else Intuition, a Linux-based mobile platform that comes with such a hyperbolic press release that we can't help but think every other mobile manufacturer should just pack up and go home. It's said to match the functionality of "top ranked MP3 players, best-in-class GPS devices, and more, while maintaining an exceptional ease and simplicity of use." Golly. At this point we only have a few images to go by, and though they do look plenty nice, we wouldn't consider our minds blown just yet -- particularly those of us with a left-handed bias. Remember, Access is the company that turned Palm OS into Garnet OS and then failed to win anyone over with its Access Linux Platform, so what could go wrong here? What's it going to be, readers: WebOS or Else?

Update: Another right-handed pic (ironically taken on an iPhone) added after the break.

Continue reading Access and Emblaze Mobile unveil Else Intuition, the Linux-based mobile OS of your dreams

Raytheon deploying Android-powered RATS on battlefields in Afghanistan and Pakistan

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 21st 2009 at 8:51AM

Android, Android everywhere. Android, Android in my hair. In my Nook and in my car in my netbook and in my... wait, Afghanistan? It seems defense contractor Raytheon, creators of the famous "pain ray", have launched a device called RATS: the Raytheon Android Tactical System. It allows soldiers to mark other soldiers and even UAVs as "buddies," then track their position in real time on a map, even picking up streaming video coming from above -- sort of like Latitude but putting a whole new spin on stalking. No word on how soldiers like their new devices so far, but once a Twitter app is added we're sure they won't shut up about it.

ARM shows off its Mali mobile processors with impressive 3D demos, also bowling (video)

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 21st 2009 at 7:57AM

It's been a long time since ARM last bragged about its Mali line of high-end mobile processors, telling us back in March how the 200 and 400 models were going to bring high-def 3D performance to tiny gadgets. Finally we have some videos to go with the hype, two demonstrations showing the phone's admittedly impressive polygon-shuffling tech. The demos feature the lower-end Mali-200 rendering everything at 720p, playing some simple videos and also handling a rather complex 3D contact navigation system that looks both flashy and painful to use. ARM says "play a game of bowling like never before and you'll get hooked by the magic of Mali." Click on through already, and prepare to be hooked.

Continue reading ARM shows off its Mali mobile processors with impressive 3D demos, also bowling (video)

Sensaris debuts six-axis MoveIt Bluetooth motion sensor

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 20th 2009 at 3:08AM

Sensaris isn't exactly doing itself any favors with its FCC-style photography, but the company's new MoveIt Bluetooth motion sensor does look to be a fairly interesting little device, even if it's not quite as convenient as an accelerometer built into your phone. Of course, you do also get quite a few more features for that added bulk, including a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, GPS, and dedicated microSD card slot -- not to mention some built-in Bluetooth to let you use it with a variety of phones and other devices. What's more, while the device isn't commercially available just yet, Sensaris does seem to see plenty of potential for different applications, and it's even touting some "Lego-like modularity" that promises to let it be tailored for specific uses -- including everything from exercise to augmented reality.

Sprint proves money can solve problems, buys iPCS to settle litigation

by Darren Murph posted Oct 19th 2009 at 1:48PM

Considering Sprint's financial position and the overall credit market, we're not exactly sure where the carrier managed to pick up $831 million, which it promptly used to acquire affiliate iPCS and take on $405 million of net debt. If you'll recall, the aforesaid youngin' was worrying papa way back in May of 2008, and it seems that Sprint has finally had enough of this whole "litigation" thing. The acquisition puts all of the court battling to rest (or at least it's expected to), enabling the operator to stop divesting its iDEN network in select iPCS markets. Money may not buy happiness, but it sure buys a good muzzle.

[Via Reuters]

LG GD900 Crystal makes a very portable fish tank, PETA magnet

by Engadget staff posted Oct 17th 2009 at 1:42AM

Remember the good old days with your virtual pets on your keyring? Well, how about an injection of life that actually roams around inside your phone? Some dude in China had this exact idea -- probably inspired by the waterproof LG GD900 Crystal in a fish tank -- and popped open the hollow keypad of his own Crystal, slapped in two unfortunate little neon tetras, squeezed in some water and snap! There's no mention on how long the poor things can survive in there for, but chances are PETA will be after your backside well before something goes wrong. We also went through the warranty paperwork, and honestly, we think this gentleman might be in a fishy area here. Video of the mod after the break, if you dare.

Continue reading LG GD900 Crystal makes a very portable fish tank, PETA magnet